Collapsible shipping crate



Patented Nom29, i927.

UNITED STATESY WALTER B. HIATT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GOLLAIESIBLE SHIPPING CRATE.

v.Application filed January My invention relates to a collapsible shipping crate and has for its principal o b]ects, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of collap )le 'shipping crates, to provide a crate that is of strong, durable and substantial construction, comparatively light in weight, capable of being easily and cheaply produced, and which when empty may be easily and conveniently folded or collapsed so as to occupy comparatively little space when packed for storage or transportation.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a collapsible shipping crate that is particularly designed for use in shipping fruit, vegetables and like products, and to provide the crate with a folding bottom which when the crate is open practically locks the walls of the structure against folding o r collapsing, thereby eliminating the necessity for extraneous locking means. or latches to retain the crate in its open usable condition,

A further object of my invention is to provide improved means for pivoting or hinging the bottom panel withinvthe body of the crate in order that said bottom panel may be readily shifted from one position to another when the crate is open or collapsed and to enable said bottom panel to be readily removed from its position within the bottom of the crate while the latter is open.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view my invention consists of certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Fig. l is a perspective view of a collapsible crate constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of t-hc crate in its folded or colla};)sed condition.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken ou the line SMS of Fig. l.

Fig. a is a. horizontal 'section taken approximately on the line Ll-s. of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sec-tion taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. l.

ln the construction of my improved collapsible crate I malte use of a pair of front panels, a pair of end panels and a bottom. which panels and bottom are preferably slatted as illustrated, although if desired they may be of substantially solid construction, that is, without slats or openings, rlhe 7, 1926.' Serial No. 79,729.

front and end panels are practically identical in structure and each panel comprises a series of horizontally disposed parallel slats 10, the ends of which are secured bymeans of nails or screws to vertically disposed posts 11. f

Each end panel comprises top and bottom rails 12, the end portions of which overlie the ends of the posts l1 and said rails are pivotall y connected to said posts by pins or nails such as 13 that pass through apertures 1st that are formed in the end portions of rails 12 and said nails or pins being firmly seated in the end portions of posts 11, (see 5). This arrangement enables the completed crate to readily fold from itsfull open position as shown in Fig.V 1 to the collapsed position shown in FigtQ and vice versa.

Secured to theouter faces of the top and bottom rails 12 of the end panels are vertically disposedv slats 15, the central one of whichterminates a short distance below the upper one of the rails 12, thus providing just below the central portionsfof the lupper ones of the rails 12 substantially rectangular openings 16 vthat serve as holesor openings to admit the hands when the crate is lifted and carried.,v The upper portion of the'relatively short intermediate slat on each end panel is secured to a transversely disposed slat such as 17, the end portions thereof being secured to the upper portions of the corresponding end slats 15.

The folding bottom for the crate comprises a series of parallel slats 18 that are secured in any suitable manner to transversely disposed slats 19, the latter being positioned on the underside of said slats 18 near the ends and this bottom panel is constructed so that itlits snugly within the lower por tion of the bottom of the crate and when the latter is open the ends of the parallel slats 18 rest directly on top of the inner edges` of the bottom rails 12 and with the ends of the outer pair of said slats 18 b-earing against the inner faces of the corner posts 11 (see Fig. t). This particular arrangement and structure is effective in reinforcing the bottom portion of the crate when the same is open and which practically locks the side and end panels against folding movement.

Formed in the inner faces of a pair of the corner posts l1 are short vertically disposed slots or recesses 20 and seated therein are short trunnions or pintles 21 that progect lill) from lthe ends of the adjacent one of the slats 18. Thus the pintles or trunnions 21 operating in the recesses 2() function as a horizontal aXis forth-e bottom panel and permit the latter to be swung upward as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3 so as to occupy a substantially vertical position between the pair of corner posts to Which said panel is pivoted When the crate is collapsed for storage or transportation (see Fig. 2).

'Y The vertically disposed slots 2O that are formed in the inner faces of the rear pair of corner posts 1l and which accommodate the pintles 2l permit the bottom panel to move vertically for a short distance relative to the body of the crate and such provision enables the bottom panel to be readily removed from the crate While the same is open, for by lifting one end of the bottom panel before the other end is lifted, the angular position assumed by said bottom permits the pintle on the elevated end to pass out of the upper end of its slot and consequently per mits the entire bottom panel to be readily lifted from the crate While the latter is open.

Shipping crates of my improved construction may be made in various sizes for the accommodation of .different classes of goods and by the use of the collapsible crates a material saving in shipping charges on the empty crates may be eifected.

rlhus it will be seen that l have provided a shipping crate of strong, durable and substantial-structure and the Walls and bottom of which crate are assembled so as to be readily collapsed or folded so as to occupy comparatively small space While not in use.

It Will be understood that minor changes Leitrim in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved collapsible shipping crate may bemade and substituted for those herein disclosed Without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of Which is set forth in the appended claim.

l claim as my invention:

In th-e collapsible shipping crate, front and rear panels, each of which comprises a plurality of slats anda pair of end posts, a pair of end panels each of Which includes top and bottom rails, the ends of which overlie and are pivotally connected to the corresponding pairs of corner posts, the inner faces of the corner posts of the rear panel being provided with vertically disposed slots adjacent to their lower ends, a slatted bottom panel loosely arranged in the lovver portion of the crate, trunnions formed integral With and projecting from the -ends of the rear one of the slats of said bottom panel, which trunnions extend into the slots in the lower portions of the rear corner posts, which trunnions constitute hinge pins Whereby the bottom panel may be swung vertically Within the crate and the length of the slots that are occupied by said trunnions being such as to permit the bottom panel to be removed from the crate While the same is open by lifting one end of said bottom panel before the other end is lifted so as to permit.

the trunnion on the elevated end to pass out of the upper end of its slot before the trunnion at the opposite end of the bottom panel leaves its slot.`

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature.

VALTER B. HIATT. 

